Academics

Hogan to serve on SHRM Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity

Tom Hogan, top right, Penn State professor of practice in human resource management, has been selected to serve on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity. Credit: SHRM. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tom Hogan, Penn State professor of practice in human resource management, has been selected to serve on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity.

With more than 300,000 human resource (HR) and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM serves as the “voice of all things work, workers and the workplace” and impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Racial Equity assembles human resources and business leaders to drive actions and find solutions. The commission is part of SHRM’s “Together Forward @Work” initiative, a call to action for the business community and HR professionals to address racial inequity in the workplace.

“My work on the commission is an extension of my commitment to help create workplaces of the future where everyone feels a sense of belonging, a sense of connectedness, and a sense of community,” Hogan said. “This will require creating organizational cultures that proactively recognize, confront and address bias, discrimination and racism.”

The commission has several long-term objectives. This includes assessing the efficacy of existing programs and models while also identifying programs shown to successfully manage the recruitment, retention, development and engagement of diverse workforces. The commission will chart out a roadmap to create inclusive, diverse and safe workplaces that apply accountability measures at all levels of the organization. The final objective is to produce content and tools that will foster continued professional development in increasing equity in the workplace.

Hogan, who teaches in the School of Labor and Employment Relations (LER) in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts, has more than 30 years of experience as a practitioner. He has served in leadership positions in higher education and the corporate sector. Before joining Penn State, Hogan was interim associate provost in the Office of Faculty Affairs at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Hogan also spent 23 years with AT&T in a variety of roles, including sales, sales support, business development, marketing and human resources. In his last assignment at AT&T, Hogan served as director of strategic talent acquisition and retention, workforce diversity, and equal employment opportunity/affirmative action.

“The school is very supportive of Professor Hogan’s work on the Blue Ribbon Commission because it is consistent with our commitment to helping American workforces become more diverse and inclusive,” said Paul Clark, director of the School of Labor and Employment Relations.

Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, was recently named as a co-chair of Penn State's Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community Safety. He said, “Without question, Tom's service is consistent with the work of building an equitable and diverse work environment in the college, and across the University. I am excited about seeing him — and LER — recognized through this appointment, and I am grateful that he is representing Penn State on a national scale at this critical moment.”

For more information about the commission and its members, visit TogetherForwardatWork.shrm.org/BRC.

Last Updated April 15, 2021

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